Scholarship Retention Information

All admitted students are reviewed for merit scholarship awards at time of admissions to Pitt Law. The merit scholarships are renewable for the second and third years of law school provided the recipient maintains a cumulative grade point average of 2.8 in their legal studies. Scholarship renewal review is conducted at the end of the academic year. Students whose scholarship is not renewed may request to have their scholarship reinstated at any time based upon earning the cumulative 3.0 grade point average in their legal studies.

Below is the ABA Consumer Information for Scholarship Retention at Pitt Law:

Students Matriculating In

Number Entering with Conditional Scholarships

Number Whose Conditional Scholarship have since been reduced or eliminated

2016-2017

73

5

2015-2016

53

9

2014-2015

78

13

Pitt Law Scholarships

Approximately 70 percent of the student body receives scholarship funds from the School of Law in the form of merit or need-based scholarship awards. The Law School offers various merit scholarships at the time of admissions. Some scholarship require an additional application and others are based on the materials submitted in your admissions application. If admitted, you will be emailed any scholarship application that requires additional materials.

Dean's Scholarships

The School of Law offers scholarship for academic merit to incoming first year students. There is no application necessary for merit scholarships. Admitted students are automatically considered for merit scholarships on the basis of past academic performance as documented in their admissions materials. Students admitted prior to February 1st earning a high LSAT score of 161 or better and an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.4 (on a 4.0 scale) are guaranteed the Dean's Scholarship. All admitted students are reviewed for consideration for a merit scholarship. Students awarded a merit scholarship will be notified in writing with their admit letter. The minimum award amount starts at $10,000 per academic year with two equal payments of $5,000 per term.

Merit scholarships are renewable as long as a student maintains at least a "B" average, defined as a 3.0 cumulative GPA, or better in their legal studies. Merit scholarship can only be applied to your tuition at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. If you are attending another school or a study abroad program, your scholarship will be placed on hold and reinstated when you return to the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Tuition Scholarships

The School of Law offers a Tuition Scholarship for diversity/adversity to incoming first year students. There is no separate application necessary for the Tuition Scholarship. Admitted students are automatically considered for the Tuition Scholarship based on the personal statement and/or Supplementary Questionnaire that was included in the admission application material. Students awarded the Tuition Scholarship will be notified in writing with their admit letter. The typical award amount starts at $10,000 per academic year with two equal payments of $5000 per term for those students admitted prior to April 15th.

Diversity/adversity scholarships are renewable for the second and third year of legal studies at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Merit scholarship can only be applied to your tuition at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. If you are attending another school or a study abroad program, your scholarship will be placed on hold and reinstated when your return to the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Public Interest Scholarship

First year applicants who are U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents and have a strong commitment to public interest law can apply for the Public Interest Scholarship. The Public Interest Scholarship will be emailed to all admitted students. Based on an evaluation of the application materials provided, the Scholarship Committee is looking for students who possess a strong commitment to the area of public interest. The strength of their commitment will be judged based on their prior work in the area, the ideas they have for work during their legal education and the career they have planned after graduation. The Committee is also looking for students who have done well academically in their undergraduate and/or graduate work.

Awards will be renewed for the second and third years of law school as long as all renewal criteria specified at the time of application are met. When accepting the scholarship offer, recipients must make a moral commitment that they will be dedicated to public service work throughout their legal career.

The Office of Admissions must receive the scholarship application and all supporting documentation by March 15. In order for a completed application to be considered by the Scholarship Committee, the applicant must be admitted to the University of Pittsburgh School of Law; therefore, it is imperative that students apply for admission early in the process.

Questions regarding this scholarship can be addressed to the Office of Admissions by calling (412) 648-1805. For more information about Pitt Law's public interest student organization please visit Pitt Legal Income Sharing Foundation (PLISF).

K. Leroy Irvis Fellowship Program

This program is designed to address the critical need to recruit and retain African American graduate and professional students, and to ultimately enhance the African American presence in the University. It will provide full in-state tuition to one academically outstanding applicant. The scholarship committee reviews all accepted applicants in the spring and the award will be made prior to our April 15th deposit deadline.

Merit Scholarships

Chief Justice Ralph J. Cappy Scholarship

In profound gratitude for his devoted service to the University of Pittsburgh and as an enduring tribute to his distinguished legal career, the University established the Chief Justice Ralph J. Cappy Endowed Scholarship. The Cappy Scholar will be a Pennsylvania resident with high academic qualifications, who holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and intends to pursue a career in public interest. Admitted students who fit the Cappy Scholar qualifications will be invited to submit an application. The Cappy Scholarship will distribute a $15,000 scholarship annually towards your Pitt Law tuition. This scholarship will be renewable for the second and third years of law school as long as a cumulative 3.0 GPA is maintained in at the law school. In addition, Cappy Scholars will have their Cappy Scholarship matched with the Dean's Scholarship creating a full tuition scholarship.

David and Carl Janavitz Fellowship in First Amendment Law

First Amendment Law has a long history of importance to the academic legal community as well as all citizens of this country. Given the legal and policy concerns and possibilities created by applying First Amendment Law to traditional areas as well as new technologies such as the Internet, it remains essential today to demonstrate how scholarly legal writing, research, and legal work generally can awaken and inform public awareness of the profound issues at stake.

This Fellowship was created to provide funding for one J.D. student with a special interest in and demonstrated talent for analysis of legal and public policy issues concerning First Amendment Law. The fellowship appointment will be for one year with an award of $10,000. The selection of the fellow will be made by a committee after reviewing the application along with the required supporting documents. All incoming first year, rising second and third year students are eligible to apply. The deadline for David and Carl Janavitz Fellowship application is March 1st.

Derrick A. Bell Scholarship in Law and Social Justice

This scholarship, an initiative of the Derrick A Bell Fund for Excellence, will support student engagement in areas consistent with Professor Bell's legacy of advancing social justice, access to justice, and equality before the law. The Derrick A. Bell Scholarship will be awarded to one incoming student who meets certain criteria and qualifications, including: admission to Pitt Law by March 1; a record of high academic achievement; a demonstrated commitment to enhancing diversity and social justice; and evidence of overcoming disadvantage or adversity including, but not limited to, being the first in one’s family to pursue higher education or overcoming substantial socioeconomic disadvantage. The Bell Scholarship will distribute a $10,000 scholarship annually towards your Pitt Law tuition. This scholarship will be renewable for the second and third years of law school as long as the student maintains a cumulative 2.8 GPA in their legal studies. In addition, Bell Scholars will have their Dean's or Tuition Scholarship coupled with the Bell Award to create a full-tuition Scholarship.

Donald I. Moritz Scholarship

The Donald I. Moritz Scholarship was established in 1995. Mr. Moriz earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1948 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Pittsburgh in 1951. He is retired President and CEO of the Equitable Resources, Inc. This scholarship was set up in his honor by Equitable Resourcs, Inc. to assist worthy law students with the cost of their legal education. Admitted students are automatically considered for this merit scholarship on the basis of past academic performance as documented in their admissions materials. This scholarship is renewable for the second and third years of law school as long as the student maintains a cumulative GPA of a 2.8 in their legal studies.

Global law firm K&L Gates LLP and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law) have collaborated in the establishment of the K&L Gates Diversity Fellowship, which will provide a full-tuition scholarship to an entering student at Pitt Law for all three years of law school, as well as a paid summer associate position at K&L Gates in the student’s first and second summers of law school. The K&L Gates Diversity Fellowship, which will begin with the Fall 2016 entering class, is the first of its kind at Pitt Law; the first such partnership in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania between a law firm and a law school; and one of the very few such partnerships in the entire country. All accepted students will be invited to apply. Click here for more information.

University of Pittsburgh Law Alumni Association Scholarship

The Law Alumni Association Scholarship is awarded annually to third year Pitt Law students. This Scholarship gives students the freedom to pursue career goals by helping to offset educational loans. The Law Alumni Association typically awards three scholarships annually. Consideration is give to grades, activities, interest and financial need. Pitt Law students in the spring of their second year are invited to apply by completing the University of Pittsburgh Law Alumni Association (UPLAA) Scholarship application and submitting the required supporting materials by the March deadline. The Law Alumni Association will select a number of applicants for a required interview prior to the final awarding of the scholarship. Download the application here (PDF download). Please visit the Law Alumni Association website for more information.